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User blog:SPARTAN 119/Arminius vs Ragnar Lodbrok
Arminius, the Germanic chieftain who routed the Roman legions at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest VS Ragnar Lodbrok, the Viking raider who terrorized the coasts of Northern Europe and even sailed up the Seine and held Paris for ransom WHO IS DEADLIEST?! =Combatants= Arminius Arminius, also known as Armin or Hermann was a cheiftain of the German Cherusci. Arminius was born in 17 or 18 AD, and in his younger years was sent to Rome as a tribute, and actually attained Roman citizenship and even petty noble status, training to be a commander in the Roman Army. Arminius commanded a unit of Roman-Germanic reserves in the Balkans in 4 AD, but in 7 or 8 AD, he returned to Germany. In the fall of 9 AD, Rome sent a massive military force into Germania, planning bring the region under total Roman control. Knowing of this plan, Arminius hit the Romans exactly where their military tactics were weakest, in the dense Teutoburg forest. The Roman force under Quintilius Varus were marching along a sunken road in the woods, in the middle of rainstorm, when Germanic forces felled trees behind them, preventing escape. The Germans then hurled stones, darts, and javelins at the Roman soldiers from the forests above and to either side, before charging in with their swords and framea spears, slaughtering numerous Romans at close range and forcing the rest into a retreat that brought them directly into Germanic field fortifications prepared near Kalkriese Hill. The Romans were trapped between the fortifications and the pursuing force of Germans and slaughtered, three legions being completely wiped out and 16,000-20,000 men killed. Varus was not killed in battle, but committed suicide by falling on his sword when her realized defeat was certain. The few survivors, if any, were likely taken into slavery. The Romans later retaliated, defeating Arminius in major battles and recapturing two of Rome's legionary eagles, and Arminius became involved in inter-tribal conflict, being killed under mysterious circumstance in 21 AD. In spite of this, Roman Empire would never again attempt to make an attempt to establish a permanent presence in Germania west of the Rhine River. Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Lodbrok was a Viking raider who lived in the early 800s AD. Norse sagas state that Lodbrok was briefly declared king of much of Denmark and Sweden, and claimed to be descended from Odin himself. Ragnar made himself well known and feared in civil wars in Denmark, and by raiding France. Lodbrok first raided France in the 845 with a fleet of 120 ships and an army of 5000 men. Lodbrok took advantage of the shallow draft of the Viking longship, using rivers as transport corridors and avoiding conflict with Frankish heavy cavalry. Ragnar's Vikings attacked a number of cities in northwestern France, including Rouen and Carolivenna. Ragnar then raided the Abbey of St. Denis, driving the soldiers guarding the Abbey to flee their posts by executing prisoners in front of them. Ragnar then sailed up the Seine to Paris, where he held the city for ransom, and received 7000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. Ragnar died soon after, however, when he was shipwrecked on the coast of England and taken captive by King Aelle of Northumbria. Aelle ordered Ragnar executed, according to legend by being thrown into a pit filled with venomous snakes. Aelle, however, would pay dearly for the execution of Ragnar. Ragnar's sons, Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan Ragnarsson, and Ubbe Ragnarson, led an invasion of England known as the Great Heathen Army. The Great Heathen Army took the city of York, and captured Aelle, executing him a particularly brutal manner known as the "Blood Eagle", which consisted of cutting open the victim's chest and tearing out his lungs, positioning them in a manner that resembled the wings of an eagle. Ragnar's raids in France also left the legacy of a number of Vikings who settled in the area, becoming known as the Normans, whose greatest claim to fame would come 200 years later with the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. =Weapons= Swords Germanic Sword (Arminius) The Germanic Sword of Arminius' time, referred to the Romans as a spatha, was a broad, straight-bladed, with a triangular point on the end, about .79 to one meter in length. As Arminius's swords were decribed as "light swords" it would be assumed that it was closer to .79m in length. The weapon was initially used by Germanic tribesmen, as well as Germanic auxiliaries such as what Arminius was during his time as a Roman citizen. Viking Sword (Ragnar) The Viking Broadsword was a straight sword with a double-edged blade of about a 74 cm in length. The weapon had a crossguard and a counterweight on the end of the blade that could be used as a secondary blunt weapon. 119's Edge The two swords are similar enough to call even Thrown Weapons Dart (Arminius) The thrown dart of the Roman era was essentially a small (50cm long), fletched javelin with an iron head, known the the Romans as a plumbata, from the Latin plumbum- lead. This is because the weapon was weighted with a lead weight. They are most associated with the Romans, but were also used by other peoples, including the Germans. Short Axe (Ragnar) In addition to large Dane Axes, the Vikings also carried short axes with handles of 1-2 feet in length, with a relatively light head, intended for either making rapid strikes from behind a shield or being thrown with lethal force. 119's Edge Ragnar's Short axe takes this for its greater versatility, being an effective melee and thrown weapon. Spears Framea (Arminius) The framea was a Germanic javelin with a sharp, narrow, short head, used for both melee and ranged combat. According to the Roman historian Tacitus, the Germanic tribesmen of would each carry several framea and throw them in a barrage before attacking. Viking Spear (Ragnar) The Viking spear consisted of an iron head between 20 and 60 cm in length, mounted on long shaft of about two-three meters. The weapon could be used for both thrusting and and throwing, with Viking warriors often carrying multiple spears for throwing. The spear sometimes had a pin holding the head in place, which could be removed before throwing, so the head would fall off on impact, preventing the enemy from throwing the weapon back. 119's Edge The Two weapons are similar enough to be called Even. Special Weapons Fire-Hardened Club (Arminius) The Germans were known to utilize simple wooden clubs as weapon, sometimes studded with metal spikes. They would often head the wood in a fire, hardening it to the point that it was difficult to cut and could be used to block sword strikes. Dane Axe (Ragnar) The Dane Axe is a long axe with a handle of three to four feet. The weapon had a large, wide head with a sharp edge. The head has prominent "horns" on the top. The blade was typically made from wrought iron, with a high-carbon steel edge. 119's Edge Ragnar's Dane axe for its greater cutting ability. Shields Germanic Shield The Germanic Warriors of the time used a round shield made of wooden plates, with a metal boss in the center, with leather lining around the rim. The shield was similar to the later Viking Shield. Viking Shield (Ragnar) The Vikings used a round, wooden center-grip shield with a metal center piece or boss. The shield was designed to be light, but not to break or split easily when struck. The shield was typically about 75 to 90 centimeters in diameter, and was often used in a tight shield wall for group defense. 119's Edge The two shields are essentially the same thing. Even. =X-Factors= Explanations Arminius takes training for his time in the Roman Army, and well as tactics for his brilliant use of ambush tactics and field fortifications to defeat the Romans at Teutoburg Forest. Ragnar takes armor as, while he wore chain mail and a metal helmet, the average Germanic warrior wore no armor, though Arminius might have had a helmet and possibly some sort of chest armor. That, however, gave them greater freedom of movement, allowed them to throw their javelins and darts further. =Battle= Arminius: Ragnar Lodbrok: Ragnar Lodbrok and five Vikings through into a dense forest. Suddenly, a whooshing sound was heard, followed by the screams of a dying man. One of Ragnar's men was run through the chest by a thrown framea. The rest of the Vikings drew their weapons and turned towards the place where the spear had come from. Facing them were five Germanic tribemen, led by Arminius. Ragnar and the other Vikings shouted with rage, hurling axes and spears at the Germans. Most of the weapons bounced off the German's shields, but one of the axes caught a Germanic tribesman in the forehead, killing him instantly. The Vikings then charged at Arminius and his Germans, swords, spears, and axes in hand. One of he Vikings was cut down in the charge, however, by plumbata thrown by a German soldier, which caught him in the chest. The two groups of warriors collided in a clash of steel. Ragnar swung his massive Dane Axe, cutting the head off a German tribesman's framea, before decapitating the Germanic warrior as he tried to draw his sword. Meanwhile, a Germanic warrior knocked the helmet off a Viking with a spiked club, and then brought the club down on Viking's head, smashing his skull in. A Viking came up behind the German club-wielder, however, and thrust his spear through him, impaling through the chest. Ragnar and the his last surviving soldier faced off against Arminius and his last surviving man. The Germanic warrior made his first move, throwing his framea at Ragnar, who dodged the spear. The two Germans charged at the Vikings. Arminus' last soldier faced the last surviving Viking, and raised his shield high, but the Viking suddenly changed the direction of his spear thrust and went low. The Germanic warrior, however, made a powerful slide with his sword, slicing the head off the Viking's spear. The Viking tossed away the useless shaft and drew his sword. The two warriors clashed, blades striking against shields, until the Germanic Warrior found an opening and thrust low, under the Viking's shield, killing him. Ragnar, meanwhile, charged at Arminius, swinging his Dane Axe wildly, forcing Arminus to retreat backwards, cornering him against a tree. Ragnar took a mighty vertical swing at Arminius and hit.... only the tree, embedding the blade in the wood. Arminius had jumped to the side and seized his opportunity to thrust his sword right through Ragnar's chest. Blood flowed profusely and the Viking warrior fell the the ground, dead. Arminius and the the other Germanic warrior raised their swords in victory. WINNER: Arminius Expert's Opinion Arminius took this battle because mainly due to tactics. Arminius used ambush tactics and field fortifications managed to defeat three of Roman legions, the best trained soldiers of his time. Ragnar's slighly superior weapons and even his superior armor could not compete with this. Category:Blog posts